Currently, fixed RFID infrastructure is used to read the tagged merchandise in a retail or industrial environment. Disadvantageously, this requires the use of a large number of RFID antennas to create uniform RF illumination on all the tags in the monitored area. Additionally, this type of RFID infrastructure is interconnected with RF cables and Multiplexers, all of which exhibit RF loss, and which carry additional costs that are onerous to small and large companies alike. Moreover, owners must pay the facilities to install this type of infrastructure, that is not movable if locations are changed. Nor are these systems easily upgradable. There does exist some integrated reader antennas that operate directly from, and receive power, from the Ethernet utilizing Power over Ethernet (PoE) modules. These units can eliminate some of the cost for installing the RF cables and reduced the facilities charge, these POE units still required a large number of Ethernet cable drops and associated power installation. Data bandwidth on the networks is also high, since in a store of only 10,000 items the tags read in a few seconds can number over million. This high data rate requires the use of data concentrators (aggregators) located on PoE switches that reduce the data rate before connecting to a wireless network. In principal, it is easier to continue a wired network from the aggregators back to the data server, since otherwise, the RFID system can overload the 802.11 network and impact other store operations.
Therefore, there is a need for an RFID reader with a software radio that is aesthetically pleasing and powered using existing electrical systems.